Posted by BillS on April 04, 2007 at 12:05:23:
In Reply to: gear milling on a standard milling machine posted by Andre on April 02, 2007 at 21:32:30:
This is a subject that has come up more than once, and I think the level of difficulty depends on the quantity of gears to cut, the number of teeth, and the accuracy you need.
Accuracy in gearing involves some measurements that you may not be aware of - tooth to tooth variation, over pin size, lead error, involute profile error - did I miss anything?
I've never attempted it, but I would suggest, if the material is steel, that you rough the tooth spaces with an endmill and then use the ball-end to finish.
There's no reason I can think of why it wouldn't work, but it would be great if someone who has done it would share some insights.